Disney World Pushes Guests’ Limits with 12-Hour Ride Breakdown

We have seen countless incidents involving Disney World or Disneyland rides and roller coaster breakdowns or malfunctions in recent months.

Some of these Disney ride incidents involve full-scale evacuations — which serve as a bonus in the minds of some Disney Fanatics, and a bother in the minds of others — while other ride breakdowns have involved special treats for the guests as consolation prizes.

Others have simply involved waiting around for several minutes, without any evacuations or perks (not to mention refunds).

Even though Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort Guests are used to roller coaster malfunctions or breakdowns (so much so that some Disney guests account for it during their vacations, assuming ride closures will be a constant problem), a 12-hour-long “interruption” and almost 700 minutes of missing out on this roller coaster does seem to be testing guests’ patience!

The popular Hollywood Studios roller coaster known as Slinky Dog Dash reportedly suffered a malfunction or some other form of issue that caused the unique roller coaster (which flexes and stretches on the track, like a slinky toy and its Toy Story namesake) to be shut down unexpectedly for 698 minutes, which equals about 12 hours.

This ride is meant to literally be all fun and games, since the roller coaster passengers and Hollywood Studios guests are essentially meant to be transformed into toys in Toy Story character Andy’s personally-assembled roller coaster kit.

However, Disney World guests and Toy Story Land visitors missed out on 12 hours of said fun and games!

Slinky Dog Dash has been closed after an interruption of 698 minutes. https://t.co/7TLcSYsQpp #HollywoodStudios #WDW #WaltDisneyWorld #DisneyWorld

— WDW Stats (@WdwStats) September 14, 2023

There have been rumblings for months about Disney’s struggle to deal with ride breakdowns and malfunctions; there have even been reports involving a shortage of staff in Disney’s ride mechanic department.

Some rides (such as the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Adventureland at the Magic Kingdom) close so often that their names have become synonymous with failure and an inability to perform properly.

Unfortunately, if this intense 12-hour “interruption” (as it was labeled by WDW Stats in the Tweet shown above) is any indication, then Slinky Dog Dash might be beginning to experience some similar symptoms!

This roller coaster was only introduced to Toy Story Land in 2018, which is relatively recent compared to plenty of older Disney World attractions. However, perhaps the roller coaster’s unique nature has become its downfall!

According to Disney World’s website and the ride’s online profile, “Slinky Dog’s springy coils stretch to the limit as you bend around curves, zoom up hills, and drop back down.”

This does create a unique experience for passengers, but it might also present a whole slew of bizarre problems that can lead to closures like this 698-minute snafu.

Now, it looks like this ride is operating normally (according to the Disney World website), so Disney Guests can get back to experiencing what Disney World has called “wonderful fun for the entire family.”

Have you been on Slinky Dog Dash yet during a Hollywood Studios visit? How often do Disney rides break down on your vacations there, and what’s the longest wait time you’ve had to endure due to an incident like this one?